Mother's Little Helper

Tonight I feel gross.

As I'm sure you know by now, I'm fairly candid. So, fair warning.
I feel gross because I have cramps and I'm tired and just a little moody. I have all three of these because I'm on my period.

Mother's Little Helper by DavidsTea can help. I would be using the menstrual tea I made, but 1) my cramps aren't bad enough to warrant using it, 2) it's mainly for daytime use and 3) I want to sleep really well tonight. Not to mention the fact it tastes like shit without honey. And I have no honey. Buckley's of the tea world



Mother's Little Helper is a strange tea color wise when it brews, and beautiful BEFORE you even steep it. Seriously though, it's so pretty. It basically always tastes the same, but some steeps it's more brown, others it's more pink, and other's it's more yellow. Each scoop is a little different percentage of hibiscus wise, and it's really the hibiscus that gives it it's bright pink color.

This tea is also VERY versatile. Too hot out of a hot mug of tea? No problem. Make in concentrate, add cold water and store in a jug in the fridge. It's just as delicious and refreshing and relaxing and sedating as when it's hot!
Did I forget to mention the fact this tea is basically a sedative? It has valerian root in it. Valerian is a natural sedative. For some people, it basically knocks them out after they drink it, for others like myself, we just get relaxed enough to sleep, but it keeps us asleep throughout the entire night.

How I steep it to drink it cold:

I start with 5-6 tbsp of loose leaf and steep it with 4 cups boiling water, or near boiling. This tea steeps well at basically any temperature. And then I steep it for 10 minutes, sometimes more. Then I add about 3 cups cold water and put it all in a jug in the fridge. Perfect for summer! Then, I just had a cup or two before bed.


How I steep it to drink it hot:

I start with two heaping scoops of tea using David's Perfect Spoon, then steep it until the pot is finished being drank, or for at least 5 minutes. I use boiling or near boiling water. Honestly both the 'black' and 'herbal' setting on my kettle work perfectly with this tea.



Honestly, this tea is just all around yummy. It and Creme Brulee are what started my tea addiction, so it will always have a special spot in my soul. It's fresh and sweet. Minty and just a little bit fruity. It's just so good and good for you that I literally recommend this tea to EVERYONE. I've gone through over 200g of this tea (basically by myself) since I first started buying it.

Buy it. Drink it. Sleep.

LONG AND RAMBLING POST IS FINALLY DONE.

-L

PS. I premade little bags of this so I could just throw it in a pot before bed and not have to worry about any clean up. That's what's shown in the first picture.

The Last of Us: Mixing of Obsessions Part 2

On my first steep, I used once scoop with my David's Perfect Spoon and steeped it for about 5 minutes. There honestly isn't much of a smell to this tea, and it doesn't taste bad. A little herby, but not savory or sweet. So, for a tea made for healing instead of flavor, I'd say that's pretty ace. BUT if you steep it too long it becomes bitter and completely undrinkable.

Now, for the true test, out of all my steeps did it work for what the ingredients are supposed to do...

The answer is a resounding, kind of. Since there were no steeping instructions, I can't be sure I was even doing it correctly.

I did have a decrease in pain by about two points when I had it. (5/10 down to a 3/10 etc) But nothing super spectacular that made this worth using when we have access to pain killers.

BUT in the world of The Last of Us, steeping this on a cold night, when you're bruised and sore and have nothing else to soothe it, a tea like this would be awesome and incredibly helpful!

In the end, this is perfect for the apocalypse if you are in the North Eastern USA or Iceland!

Oh yeah, and here is the video I promised you.

 

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Redberry Tonic

Onto Redberry Tonic by, you guessed it, DavidsTea!

I started with one regular scoop using David's Perfect Spoon. Set my kettle to the "herbal tea" setting (200F). Then steeped it for about 4ish minutes. Let it rest for...uhhh...a few minutes? I think?

Generally this tea doesn't have much of a scent when dry. Once brewed, it smells light and fruity. Kinda yummy. It's a pretty pinkish-purple color, which is always nice to see. Some days more pink, some days more purple. This batch was much more purple than another time.


It's generally yummy; a little like miscellaneous berries, a little sweet, a little tart...but pretty bland, honestly. It's the blandness to it that really makes it not worth me owning. I have enough other fruity teas I like more and that, to me, taste better and more complex, that I don't need to take up space! (Remember the January Challenge with Deconstruct the Yuck? Still working on it! Out with the ones I don't need!)

It is good for you, though. That's always a bonus. The sea buckthorn berries, and goji berries, are the two biggest hitters (although sea buckthorn would probably have more benefits when eaten, as opposed brewed as a tea).

So, in the end it is good, and good for you, but too bland for me.

You may like it, you may not.

Drink on my friends!

-Laura

Lavender Faery Tea

This 'wine' is normally supposed to be for the first of February, but screw that I wanted to match it up with the Spring Equinox (which is on March 20th). Also, it's a fucking tea not a wine because fucking hell this isn't even close to a wine. Any people upset by the change can come yell at me I guess.

Let's usher in Spring, shall we!







Lavender Faery Wine Tea for Imbolc
(better late than never, Sort of)

You can use the recipe I used as inspiration, which I found here. You can totally use the one here, that this one was based on. Or mine, which is below.

• 1 cup of milk per serving. (Soy/almond/coconut optional)
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract (Optional. I used about the same amount of vanilla agave)
• 2 scoops of lavender tea
• Lavender buds or cinnamon (I used cinnamon)

Warm a cup milk on the stove (Or microwave, who am I to judge); be careful not to burn it. It will taste like shit if you do. 
Once warmed, steep the tea, honey, and vanilla extract (or whatever you used).
Serve in a teacup and sprinkle lavender buds or cinnamon on top. 

No dogs. We cannot share.

Okay, so if you like warm milk and honey you will like this. Because that's exactly what it tastes like.  You can sorta taste the lavender, and sorta taste the cinnamon, but it's fairly yummy. It left me relaxed, warm and happy. Like Spring does.

Feeling optimistic about the warmth, and bitter about the cold,

Laura

Forever Nuts ~ Happy Valentine's

Ingredients: Apple, almonds, cinnamon, beetroot and artificial flavouring


So, this is the only Valentine's dubbed tea from DavidsTea that I own, and I wasn't going to go out and buy any of the other ones (as lovely as they sound) because I'm on a budget.
Also, I will admit that I laughed - a lot- when DT chose FOREVER NUTS as a Valentine's tea. Get why? The twelve-year-old inside of my head sure did, and wouldn't shut up about it. heh heh... nuts.

This tea smells as amazing as it is pink. And holy crap, is it ever pink! That's probably why they actually chose it as a V-Day tea (I got tired out typing out the whole word, already), but I like my idea more because it's funny.

It looks like pink lemonade. What?!

Let me just say, my mum LOOVES this tea. I took over my first ever (and brand new) bag of 50grams a few years ago when I went to visit and I forgot it when I went home. I went back three days later, AND SHE USED ALL OF IT! My mum is amazing, but she's a tea theif!

It tastes EXACTLY the way it smells, which is exactly like the ingredients. ...exactly...... (sorry, looks like someone needs to brush up the the thesaurus) 
 I kind of forgot how amazing and comforting it is. I don't want to say cider because, though it has a very strong taste of apples, it is really something all on it's own. DT really hit this tea on the nose, which must be why they have it in their starter kit; everyone who tries it, loves it! It's great for people of all ages. And birds.


Happy Moronic-Corporate-BS-Holiday

Tell the people you love that you love them ALL the time! Because they deserve it. Doing something "special" on V-Day isn't special. SURPRISES are special!
Unless you normally don't do anything, then that would be a surprise, too! YAY!

Just a little love advice from Dr. K  ;)
Not a real doctor


Happy Steeping


PS  Sorry the cup picture sucks.

Sleigh Ride

Okay so, let me preface by saying I wasn't feeling the best today, so this review is probably going to read as more short and sweet than anything else.








This tea tends to lean itself to the weaker side, so I had to double strength it at 2 tbsp for one pot of tea.
It smells fruity and a little creamy, and very pretty to look at.

I steeped it for like...10 minutes or something.

It looks how kanpe tea tastes.
Honestly, I thought that's what it would taste like.

In the end, it's more bland than anything, and kanpe tastes better and frankly tastes more Christmas-y.

Sleigh Ride LOOKS more festive, that's for sure though.

Good tea, won't buy again because bland.

Now excuse me while I go nap because I am not feeling up to snuff.

-Laura

White Chocolate Frost

The weather outside is frightful, but the tea inside's delightful!

Please ignore the grammar, I hope it will fill you with some laughter,

Stop the stop, stop the snow, stop the snow!

See the peppercorns?

Did you enjoy my song? You fucking better have. I had to google words that rhyme with grammar for that shit.

I love this tea.

I put in 1 tbsp, as usual. Steeped for...I'm not really sure. I was doing some chores and forgot. In my fancy glass teapot, because I wanted to. And that's how I motherfuckin' roll.

The tea tastes like those white chocolate peppermint candies. It tastes great hot, it tastes good cold.

When hot, it warms the soul. It really brings out the sweet, smooth, creamy-ness of the white chocolate.
When cold, it is super refreshing - like after dinner mints are supposed to be! You absolutely taste the peppermint more.


Seriously though, it's pepperminty, chocolately, and just a nice smooth drink. It's just want I needed to make me feel better about the horrible iOS update with my Galaxy.
Buy it, drink it, enjoy it. You won't regret it.

I mean, it isn't the prettiest tea to look it, but that's why you ingest it, not look at it.

 Stay warm, my friends!

-L